** "I saw a mudcrab the other day." "Nasty creatures, I avoid them when I can!" - to the point where discussing mudcrabs is considered a stock response to everything amongst the Elder Scrolls community. It's even [[AscendedMeme referenced]] by [[MetaGuy M'aiq the Liar]] in [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsSkyrim Skyrim]].

to:

** "I saw a mudcrab the other day." "Nasty creatures, I avoid them when I can!" - to the point where discussing mudcrabs is considered a stock response to everything amongst the Elder Scrolls community. It's even [[AscendedMeme referenced]] by [[MetaGuy M'aiq the Liar]] in [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsSkyrim [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]].

** "I saw a mudcrab the other day." "Nasty creatures, I avoid them when I can!" - to the point where discussing mudcrabs is considered a stock response to everything amongst the Elder Scrolls community.

to:

** "I saw a mudcrab the other day." "Nasty creatures, I avoid them when I can!" - to the point where discussing mudcrabs is considered a stock response to everything amongst the Elder Scrolls community. It's even [[AscendedMeme referenced]] by [[MetaGuy M'aiq the Liar]] in [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsSkyrim Skyrim]].

They're ''still'' mindless {{NPC}}s whose sole purpose is to provide a threat to the player, but [[MauveShirt now they have personality]], and the player may feel sorry about killing them (well, depending on circumstances, the dialogue might just as well establish the [=NPC=]s as being major {{Jerkass}}es anyway). {{Retirony}} may also be used to further hammer the point home. If the chatter shows how terrified the {{NPC}}s are of you, you're participating in a MookHorrorShow.

to:

They're ''still'' mindless {{NPC}}s whose sole purpose is to provide a threat to the player, but [[MauveShirt now they have personality]], and the player may feel sorry about killing them (well, [[AssholeVictim depending on circumstances, circumstances]], the dialogue might just as well establish the [=NPC=]s as being major {{Jerkass}}es anyway). {{Retirony}} may also be used to further hammer the point home. If the chatter shows how terrified the {{NPC}}s are of you, you're participating in a MookHorrorShow.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', it is possible to initiate conversation if the player gets close enough undetected to certain hostile creatures that would otherwise attack on sight. Most, like the corprus monsters, just babble incoherently, but some of the stronger ones, such as the ash vampires, have some amusing chatter - among other things, inviting the player for a drink before the fight (from which you actually gain a bottle of the rare Dagoth brandy)!* If you like to sneak around in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', be prepared to hear the line "I better cut down on the ale. Starting to see things, I am," quite often. It's atmospheric the first time you hear it, but after the tenth one starts to wonder if all the humanoid enemies are just ''really'' sozzled. It gets even sillier when it is said by a ''blind monk'' -- that monk must ''really'' be getting into the ale, then!** "Stop right there, criminal scum!"** "I saw a mudcrab the other day." "Nasty creatures, I avoid them when I can!" - to the point where discussing mudcrabs is considered a stock response to everything amongst the Elder Scrolls community.* Bethesda upped the ante somewhat in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''. In addition to enemies who mutter random things to themselves, certain dungeons have fully scripted NPC interactions. One memorable one is a pair of necromancers bickering about how every time they raise a zombie, it comes back stupider.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' (based on the ''Oblivion'' engine, explaining a lot), if you should sweep your eyes past a locked container or look at it for more than one nanosecond, expect whoever owns it to exclaim "YES THAT'S LOCKED AND YES I CAN SEE YOU EYEING IT".** Or, "That's locked for a reason." Or something along the lines of "You'd better not do what I think you're about to." And looking at anything, like an item in a shop, gets you a similar, annoyed reaction.** Sentient enemies will most often speak if you hide from them, but they know you're there. Raiders will call you a "fucking pussy" and Super Mutants will scream, "NO USE HIDING! I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR!"*** A very interesting conversation between two supermutants: --->'''Mutant 1:''' Hey.--->'''Mutant 2:''' What?--->'''Mutant 1:''' Sometimes, I think... and it hurts! But it makes me remember things. I remember... a woman. Or maybe... I ''was'' a woman? Argh! Head hurt!--->'''Mutant 2:'''Talking to you is ''stoopid''.*** They also tell each other knock-knock jokes.** Earlier titles had sentient enemies spout random taunt lines in combat. Allied [=NPCs=] have their collections of combat lines as well.** While it's not exactly ''enemy'' chatter, Three Dog's lines between songs infamously comment on things you've done. Sometimes he just reports on the event without moral commentary, sometimes he gives you a WhatTheHellHero speech (this gets particularly annoying in one case where if you take the option resulting in the fewest NPC deaths, he chews you out; granted, you do need to have played before, read a guide, or just realize the "peaceful" resolution is going to get a lot of people murdered in their sleep).* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' has a more sophisticated enemy chatter system than ''3''. You'll sneak into Raider and Gunner encampments and overhear the characters have entire conversations. In an example of this trope played for tragedy, if you kill one of them in a gunfight, you may hear one of their comrades crying out in grief and horror - [[WhatMeasureIsAMook that Mook has quite probably]] [[TearJerker just watched their friend or even their lover be mowed down in front of them]].** However, befitting ''Fallout 4'' being [[LighterAndSofter Lighter and Softer]] than both ''3'' and ''New Vegas'', the game also still has tons of comedic moments given by [[EnemyChatter Enemy Chatter]]. For example, one of the funniest moments in the game is listening in on a group of [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Raiders]] near Trinity Tower (a huge [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Super]] [[ImAHumanitarian Mutant]] stronghold in Boston) talk about [[CloudCuckoolander "Grenade Guy"]], a person [[ConfusionFu so bafflingly bonkers]] that he was able to [[EveryoneHasStandards confuse the Super Mutants enough to just let him go free]] (in part from his "grenades" which were actually rocks that he then made ''explosion voices with his mouth'').

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', it is possible to initiate conversation if the player gets close enough undetected to certain hostile creatures that would otherwise attack on sight. Most, like the corprus monsters, just babble incoherently, but some of the stronger ones, such as the ash vampires, have some amusing chatter - among other things, inviting the player for a drink before the fight (from which you actually gain a bottle of the rare Dagoth brandy)!* If you like to sneak around in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', be prepared to hear the line "I better cut down on the ale. Starting to see things, I am," quite often. It's atmospheric the first time you hear it, but after the tenth one starts to wonder if all the humanoid enemies are just ''really'' sozzled. It gets even sillier when it is said by a ''blind monk'' -- that monk must ''really'' be getting into the ale, then!** "Stop right there, criminal scum!"** "I saw a mudcrab the other day." "Nasty creatures, I avoid them when I can!" - to the point where discussing mudcrabs is considered a stock response to everything amongst the Elder Scrolls community.* Bethesda upped the ante somewhat in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''. In addition to enemies who mutter random things to themselves, certain dungeons have fully scripted NPC interactions. One memorable one is a pair of necromancers bickering about how every time they raise a zombie, it comes back stupider.* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' (based on the ''Oblivion'' engine, explaining a lot), if you should sweep your eyes past a locked container or look at it for more than one nanosecond, expect whoever owns it to exclaim "YES THAT'S LOCKED AND YES I CAN SEE YOU EYEING IT".** Or, "That's locked for a reason." Or something along the lines of "You'd better not do what I think you're about to." And looking at anything, like an item in a shop, gets you a similar, annoyed reaction.** Sentient enemies will most often speak if you hide from them, but they know you're there. Raiders will call you a "fucking pussy" and Super Mutants will scream, "NO USE HIDING! I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR!"*** A very interesting conversation between two supermutants: --->'''Mutant 1:''' Hey.--->'''Mutant 2:''' What?--->'''Mutant 1:''' Sometimes, I think... and it hurts! But it makes me remember things. I remember... a woman. Or maybe... I ''was'' a woman? Argh! Head hurt!--->'''Mutant 2:'''Talking to you is ''stoopid''.*** They also tell each other knock-knock jokes.** Earlier titles had sentient enemies spout random taunt lines in combat. Allied [=NPCs=] have their collections of combat lines as well.** While it's not exactly ''enemy'' chatter, Three Dog's lines between songs infamously comment on things you've done. Sometimes he just reports on the event without moral commentary, sometimes he gives you a WhatTheHellHero speech (this gets particularly annoying in one case where if you take the option resulting in the fewest NPC deaths, he chews you out; granted, you do need to have played before, read a guide, or just realize the "peaceful" resolution is going to get a lot of people murdered in their sleep).* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' has a more sophisticated enemy chatter system than ''3''. You'll sneak into Raider and Gunner encampments and overhear the characters have entire conversations. In an example of this trope played for tragedy, if you kill one of them in a gunfight, you may hear one of their comrades crying out in grief and horror - that mook has quite probably [[TearJerker just watched their friend or even their lover be mowed down in front of them]].

* Some mooks and [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/GoldenEyeWii'' will have scripted dialogue with each other in the campaign, and some of them are pretty funny, such as this one between two guards in the beginning of the Solar mission.-->'''Guard #1''': So what are you going to do when this is over?-->'''Guard #2''': Me? I'm Teegar, I'm going to take the money and buy a hotel!-->'''Guard #1''': Yeah, right. You'll be poor to death in two weeks.-->'''Guard #2''': Yeah, well what are you gonna do?-->'''Guard #1''': I hear they're hiring up in Kabul. Big money! Lots of action! You'll be able to start ''two'' hotels. Start a chain!-->'''Guard #2''': Hmmmm, maybe I'll think about it.-->'''Guard #1''': You keep thinking. That's what you're good at.

* ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' featured some of the first in-game speech, when its WorldWarTwo German soldiers would shout at the player in German. By the time ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' was released, they were ready to include some standard-issue EnemyChatter... but now it was all in English!

to:

* ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' featured some of the first in-game speech, when its WorldWarTwo UsefulNotes/WorldWarII German soldiers would shout at the player in German. By the time ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' was released, they were ready to include some standard-issue EnemyChatter... but now it was all in English!

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